After Promises
by Emi Tonks Cullen
Summary: Set right after 'The Amazing Spider Man' movie ends. He said that the best promises are the ones which you don't intend to keep, what does this mean for Peter and Gwen?
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! So I haven't written in a while, so I just had to write this down after seeing The Amazing Spider-Man twice in a 24-hour period. I hope you guys like it! Please tell me what you think! I have some ideas for the next few chapters, but ideas are welcomed! Thanks!

A smile played on my lips. Part of me was wondering if I imagined Peter leaning forward to whisper something to me. But I knew it happened, I could hear Peter returning to his previous position in his seat, shuffling to get comfortable. I was so acutely aware of his presence, right behind me. Even more so now than this morning. It was hard to stay away from him, but I knew he wasn't going to betray my father's dying wish, so I had let it go. Actually, the more appropriate term would be _tried. _I _tried_ to let it go. I just couldn't get Peter Parker out of my mind.

Ever since the OSCORP tower incident, I haven't been able to sleep. I just gazed out my window, hoping he would spectacularly come out of nowhere. Or even a small glimpse of him swinging by would have sufficed. But I saw nothing. The rational part of me was saying that he was recovering from his injuries. As far as I know, he had a ton. I had to learn that he was shot in the leg from one of my father's old friends in the police force. I was infuriated that he wouldn't tell me something like this, until it dawned on me that we haven't been speaking. No, he was avoiding me. It was bad enough that I lost my father, but I also lost Peter. He wouldn't speak to me after he told me he couldn't be with me.

I took a few deep breaths. I was in school, and I had grades to maintain. The teacher was teaching a lesson about something or another, honestly I wasn't paying attention to that. The more pressing matter on my mind was Peter; I could feel him staring at the back of my head. I wanted to know what _exactly _he meant by _those are the best kinds_. Promises you never intended to keep? Well, he intended to keep my father's promise. I knew that because why else would I be so on edge right now? If he never intended to keep that promise, I wouldn't be sitting here, sleep deprived and worried. _Unless..._unless, he felt the same way. He found out how hard keeping that promise, and staying away from me was. That he wasn't going to try and keep my father's promise anymore. That he wanted to be with me. My heart leaped, and another smile crossed my face. But then my rational mind took over, and my smile faded. Why wouldn't he just say that then? Say how obviously hard this was for both of us? Tell me he wants to be with me?

The sound of the school bell buzzed me out of my thoughts. Did I really just zone out for an hour? I looked down at my notebook on my desk; completely blank. Oh great, I didn't take notes. I started throwing all of my things into my bag, trying to get a grip on my dissociative moment during class.

I heard the desk behind me scrape against the floor of the room, and I briefly stopped. What was I going to do? Was he going to explain what he meant by 'those are the best kinds'? Or should I say something? Or nothing? I straightened in my chair as I watched Peter Parker walk out of the classroom, turning right down the now bustling hallway. I just sat there, not knowing what to do, until I noticed I was the last in the classroom. Hurriedly, I grabbed my bag and walked right out of the door, making a left towards my locker. I had to get a grip, or I wouldn't have any notes today. I pushed all thoughts from my mind as I opened my locker, throwing in my notebook from my last class in. I grabbed my advanced calculus book, yet before I could shut my locker, I stopped. I felt that tingling feeling again. I instantly knew Peter was watching me, I could feel his stare on the back of my head. I turned around slowly. Indeed he was watching me with a confused stare, with his locker standing wide open. Once he saw me see him, he looked away and shut his locker a little more forcefully than probably needed, walking down the hall, away from me.

I stood there confused; didn't he walk in the opposite direction than me while leaving class? I was so sure of it, so he either walked back and I didn't notice, or he walked really really fast around the entirety of the school. I shook my head and closed my locker softly, leaning up against it for a moment, catching my breath. Pushing off from my locker, I headed in the opposite direction of Peter.

I'd been sitting in my bedroom, staring at my computer for I don't know how long. My internship was on hold while they rebuilt OSCORP tower, so I came home right after school. My family hasn't quite been the same lately. When I got home, I glimpsed my mother crying at the dining room table, in my father's seat, before I scurried into my room. She looked so frail. I didn't have the strength to go in and comfort her. My brothers have been good; they haven't been fighting each other as much, afraid they would upset Mom. When I last checked, they were doing homework in their room quietly.

When my Mom called us to dinner, we all sat down, trying not to notice the empty seat at the end of the table. My brothers talked of their day, like we were going about business normally. It helped to somewhat settle the cascading sadness that was looming over our apartment. We all helped clean up the dishes from our meal, and afterwards, my brothers dispersed into their own rooms to do homework, while my Mom disappeared into her bedroom. I walked slowly back to my room, knowing I had homework, but not really feeling like doing it. I couldn't shake my thoughts from Peter.

I had probably gone through every worst-case scenario with him and of that, I knew two things. One, I couldn't see him hurt, either by himself or inflicted while he was Spider-Man. He had to be safe. And two, I loved him. It was the only explanation that could possibly explain my feelings. It was this realization that I knew that I couldn't live with my father's wishes. I understand it was his last resort to try and protect me, but it is my life. I needed to grow up and not count on my father's protection. I needed to live my life how I wanted, and make those decisions on my own.

I started at the sound of a rasping at my window. I knew it was him before I turned around. Who else would climb twenty stories on a fire escape? I stood up and turned towards my window, catching the unmistakable eyes of one Peter Parker.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys! WOW! I can't believe how many alerts, reviews and favorites I got on my first chapter! Thank you all! Enjoy the next chapter!**

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_Previously:_

_I had probably gone through every worst-case scenario with him and of that, I knew two things. One, I couldn't see him hurt, either by himself or inflicted while he was Spider-Man. He had to be safe. And two, I loved him. It was the only explanation that could possibly explain my feelings. It was this realization that I knew that I couldn't live with my father's wishes. I understand it was his last resort to try and protect me, but it is my life. I needed to grow up and not count on my father's protection. I needed to live my life how I wanted, and make those decisions on my own. _

_ I started at the sound of a rasping at my window. I knew it was him before I turned around. Who else would climb twenty stories on a fire escape? I stood up and turned towards my window, catching the unmistakable eyes of one Peter Parker._

* * *

** PETER'S P.O.V.**

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Gwen's face smiling back at me. My guilt would then swarm my mind, as I thought about the promise I made to Gwen's father. It was my fault he was now dead. My fault Dr. Connors killed him. If only I didn't give Dr. Connors that equation…well, there was really no use on dwelling on it now. What's done is done.

But, I felt even worse that I'd pushed Gwen away. I can still hear the rain pour down from the clouds; feel the humidity when I told her I couldn't be with her. I could remember every detail perfectly from that day. Especially the look on Gwen's face as she was walking away. I could tell she understood why I had to do it, but it didn't make it any less painful.

Aunt May hadn't dropped the idea of me taking Gwen out. She keeps saying it will help me take my mind off things. What she doesn't know is that Gwen is what I need to get my mind off of.

Since Dr. Connors was arrested, I hadn't gone out much. Really, not much need to, after the city's main threat was taken care of. I would patrol the streets, but only for an hour or so after school. Then, after Aunt May was asleep, I would go out for a few more hours. Swinging through the city helped to distract me. I'd moved on to helping any kind of disturbance, not just ones that involved someone who looked like Uncle Ben's murderer. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't keep a certain eye out for anyone who had long blonde hair on the streets.

It was now, when I was getting back from my nightly patrols, that my mind had the most time to wander. The more time I had to think, the less and less motivation I had to stay away from Gwen. Which probably wasn't good, considering I had a promise to keep. But promises are broken every day, right? I've broken them many times with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Maybe, just maybe, if Captain Stacy knew how I felt about Gwen, how I would never let anything hurt her; he wouldn't have wanted me out of her life. Wouldn't she be better with my protection, than without it? I was Spider-Man after all, if she was with me, wouldn't she be the safest person in the city? But I can understand why Captain Stacy did what he had to. Being Spider-Man, I could make a ton of enemies. If they found out about Gwen, she would be in extreme danger. There would have to be some kind of precautions I would have to take.

And if, if I could just maybe talk to Gwen, we could come up with something. Gwen and Aunt May could go somewhere if the need ever arises. Somewhere where I know they couldn't get hurt. It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, I could be happy and keep Gwen safe. There had to be some way…

With dawn looming, I knew I should get some sleep, but I kept pondering possibly ways to keep Aunt May and Gwen safe. I had a few ideas, but nothing set in stone. Just the possibility, made me considerably happier the next morning, more than ready to head off to school.

* * *

The First few periods of class, i couldn't concentrate. How could I possibly tell Gwen my new plan? What if she didn't like the idea of us anymore? I had to come up with some way to hint at what I wanted, so I could gage her reaction. When the bell rang for third period to conclude, I walked slowly, stalling by taking the longest route to my next class. It was the class I had with Gwen, and I still hadn't come up with anything to tell her. My fear of turning into a blubbering idiot stalled me long enough that I walked into class three minutes late.

"Well, Mr. Parker. At least we can count on you being late," the teacher said, impatiently tapping her foot.

I slid into my seat, trying to become invisible. Since I was late, the only open seat was behind Gwen. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again, I promise," I replied.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Parker," the teacher retorted, turning back to the board to begin class. This was my opportunity. I couldn't have asked for a better set-up. I was planning on breaking probably the most important promise I had ever made.

I leaned ever so slightly towards Gwen and whispered, "Yeah. But those are the best kinds."

I could see Gwen stiffen ever so slightly. I knew she got my point as to which promise I was referring to. But I couldn't see her face. Was she terrified? Happy? There was no way of knowing now.

* * *

After class, Gwen sat still in her seat after the bell rang. She didn't turn to me and demand exactly what I was talking about, like I was expecting her to. I waited a few seconds, and then got up from my seat, walking towards the door without looking back. Rejection shot through me, and I could have cried. Wouldn't be the first time I cried in front of people. I pulled up my hood and jammed my iPod in my ears, blaring out my thoughts.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I kept my IPod in my ears all day. The teachers didn't care much. They probably thought I was still going through a tough time after the loss of my uncle, and they took pity on me. They can think whatever, as long as I don't have to think about earlier.

I just couldn't figure it out. What was Gwen thinking? Was it good or bad? Maybe she'd moved on; it had been a few weeks since the OSCORP incident. Maybe she just never thought about it…

These thoughts carried me through the rest of the day. After school, nothing major was happening on the streets of New York that needed my attention; just the common commotion of speeding cars. The cops would have to handle those, I couldn't write the drivers a ticket even if I stopped them.

Aunt May made lasagna that night, of which we ate at the dining table together. We chatted of idle things; like the weather and school. Aunt May went to bed early, saying she had a headache, and that she wanted to lie down.

So here I was, sitting in my room, doing nothing. I hadn't paid enough attention today in school to get the homework, so it was impossible to do any. My thoughts shifted to Gwen. Why didn't I just _ask_ her what she thought? I should go ask her. I didn't think I could wait until school tomorrow, it seemed so far away. I'll just go tonight. Right now.

Jumping out my window, I walked away from my house to the nearest Subway station. As I sat in the hard plastic chair on the Subway, I couldn't stay still. I kept bouncing my knee, and wringing my hands. I was nervous, big time. I was terrified she'd see me and not want to speak to me.

I got off at the closest station to her house, walking the final five blocks to her apartment complex. I put up my hood, and walked towards the alley next to the apartment, quickly scaling the wall and jumping on her balcony. I could see her sitting at her desk, staring at a random spot on her wall, obviously lost in thought. I sat there a few seconds, gathering up my courage, before knocking on her window. Gwen stood up and spun around; a smile coming across her face. She took the few steps towards her window, and unlocked the latch, pulling the window pane up. Taking a few steps back, she motioned for me to come in. I took a deep breath, and ducked into her room.

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**AN: So I'm thinking next chapter should be Gwen's POV again. I just felt like I needed to find Peter's motivation for wanting to break his promise….so this came out of my mind and practically wrote itself! I hope you all liked it! It was because of all the reviews and alerts, I got this out so quickly! So thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello beautiful readers! I love each and every one of you! Enjoy the next chapter!**

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_Previously:_

_I got off at the closest station to her house, walking the final five blocks to her apartment complex. I put up my hood, and walked towards the alley next to the apartment, quickly scaling the wall and jumping on her balcony. I could see her sitting at her desk, staring at a random spot on her wall, obviously lost in thought. I sat there a few seconds, gathering up my courage, before knocking on her window. Gwen stood up and spun around; a smile coming across her face. She took the few steps towards her window, and unlocked the latch, pulling the window pane up. Taking a few steps back, she motioned for me to come in. I took a deep breath, and ducked into her room._

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GWEN P.O.V.

He was really, truly here. I made my way towards the window. I had it locked. Some part of my mind was still in defense mode, I guess. I quickly undid the latch, throwing open the window as fast as I possibly could, not talking my eyes off Peter for even a second. He looked somewhat nervous. Did he think I would not let him in? Tell him he was being selfish by being here, when my father wanted him to stay away? Although he thinks so, he did not kill my father. That Lizard thing did. He saved all of New York.

I took a step back, trying to get a better look at him. He was just sitting there, on the fire escape, not making any move to enter my room. I nodded my head, giving him permission to come in.

He slid in quickly and flawlessly. Straightening himself up when his feet touched the floor. He was wearing a dark grey hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans, with his usual converse on his feet. So, he didn't just swing by because he was in the neighborhood. If he was, if it was an impulse decision, he would be wearing his trademark red and blue suit. He planned on coming here. Relief coursed through me, hopefully that was a good sign.

My mind replayed what had happened earlier in fourth period.

"What are you doing here, Peter?" I asked, breaking the silence between us. We had been standing there, staring at each other for what seemed like forever. I scanned him for injuries, and felt relief when I saw no blood seeping through his clothes. I returned my gaze to his face, waiting for his reply.

He took a deep breath. "I needed to see you," he announced very slowly, testing his words as they came out of his mouth. I could feel his eyes searching my face. A small smile played on my lips, and I looked at the ground, hoping he wouldn't see the faint blush I was sure was on my cheeks. Taking control of my emotions, I looked back up at him.

"Peter," I began jumping right to the point, "what did you mean by 'those are the best kinds'? I mean, I know what you were referencing, but I don't know why you said it." I stopped myself, knowing that if I continued, I would start rambling.

"You don't-," he started, "you don't know why?" he asked, stumbling through his words. I nodded my head, shrinking back a bit. "I-I don't want to-," he paused, breathing deeply. "I don't want to stay away from you anymore," he spoke. Then quickly added, "but, that's why I came over here. I didn't know if you wanted me to stay away from you. I-I didn't know if you would be upset if I broke you father's promise," he finished, looking down at his shoes.

A smile spread across my face. After the heartbreak I felt after he ended things, I understood why he did. Although, it was even more painful, because I knew that he still wanted to be with me, but it was my father's promise that drove a wedge into our relationship. I took a step forward, and reached for his hand. He looked up at me.

"Peter, I want to be with you. I understand why you thought you had to keep your promise to my dad, but frankly, it wasn't his position to decide what is and isn't right for me. He thought of me like I was still the little seven-year-old who would run into his arms after he got home from work every evening. I've grown up. I can make my own decisions. I don't care about the danger, I want to be with you," I told him, grabbing for his other hand. He smiled and a chuckle slipped out. Then his face changed.

"I care about the danger. That's the whole problem!" he said, letting go of my hands and walking past me. I turned to watch him move, and he stopped by my computer, slowly turning around. "If-If you ever-ever got hurt because of me, I-I-I," he stumbled, falling into despair. I walked up to him, and took his hands again. I stepped a little closer to him, so that our foreheads were touching. Just being close to him was exhilarating. I could feel my heart speeding up. He moved our joined hands up to cradle them on his chest. "I can't lose you," he whispered.

I could see the pure agony in his eyes. Suddenly I understood. He worried about my well-being by being close to him, just as I worried about him swinging through the streets, stopping criminals.

"Well, how do you think I feel while you are swinging through the streets at night, stopping bad-guys who want to kill you?" I retorted, "I get worried sick while you're out fighting crime. I don't want to lose you either."

He looked taken aback, but then replied, "It's my responsibility. I didn't ask for these powers, but now that I have them, I have to use them for good."

I sighed. "Well, that's your decision to put yourself into that kind of danger. Just as it is my decision to put myself in danger. Who knows? Maybe I'll never be in any real danger. I understand people could use me to get to you, but that's in the slight possibility that someone finds out about you-about us. But I would take that risk, if it means I can be with you," I moved my hands out of his grasp, and placed them on either side of his face. "This is my decision. I want to be with you, danger or no danger," I finalized my resolve. I wasn't going to let Peter Parker walk out of this room, unless he agrees.

He looked into my eyes, searching for anything he could use, but he knew I wasn't budging from my decision. His hands moved up to caress my neck. "We have to be smart about this. We have to have some kind of plan, so that if the need arises, I can keep you safe," he responded finally.

The biggest smile arose on my face. He said yes. With so many words, he agreed to let me back into his life. I was so overjoyed, I thought I'd burst with all of my happiness. Peter just beamed back at me, pulling my face the final few inches towards his. When his lips touched mine, a zap of electricity coursed through me. I held on tight, kissing him back with all of the feelings I suppressed these past few weeks. He moved his hands from my neck to my waist, pulling me flush against him. We kissed for what felt like days, both making up for the time we'd lost while we were apart.

When finally he pulled back to look at me, he whispered the words I had felt ever since I'd met him. "I love you."

I grinned at him, feeling my heart flying as high as a plane. "I love you too, Peter Parker"

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**AN: Oh man! I was fangirling the whole time while writing this chapter! I hope you all liked it! **

** I would love to hear what you think! I want to make sure you don't totally hate the direction I'm going in! So please review! **

** I personally think that Peter's cute little ramblings around Gwen are the best things in the world! Don't you agree?**


	4. Chapter 4

**WOAH! I love all of you! The alerts and reviews are crazy! I'm getting practically constant emails, and I get excited every time my phone beeps!**

**Quick Note: a few people have asked if I'm going to have a villain or some kind of plot in this story. My answer is YES! I will probably make one up on my own, but I have a good idea of how to enter it into the story, so keep reading! Thanks!**

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_Previously:_

_When finally he pulled back to look at me, he whispered the words I had felt ever since I'd met him. "I love you."_

_ I grinned at him, feeling my heart flying as high as a plane. "I love you too, Peter Parker"_

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PETER P.O.V

Gwen had fallen asleep in my arms, just as soon as she was sure I wasn't going anywhere. God, there was no place I'd rather be. I should be doing my rounds, but I could easily do them early in the morning before school. I didn't want to budge. She looked so peaceful. She also looked like she needed a good night sleep, and I didn't want to disturb her.

After I told her I loved her, I thought I was done for, that I went too far. But she just smiled like a kid on Christmas and said the words right back. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Gwen Stacy, the most beautiful, smart and funny girl in the world, loved me. _Me_. I could barely control my happiness as I moved my hands to caress her face. At the same time, we'd both moved forward, capturing each other's mouths. It was a slow, gentle kiss, not like the one we'd had moments ago, when I couldn't get enough of her. Now I basked in the warmth of my happiness, knowing she loved me.

When I kissed Gwen, I couldn't think about anything else but her. She was my home. The one I could come to for anything. And she was the only one who knew about Spider-Man. She was the only one who really truly knew me. And I absolutely loved kissing her.

Lying next to Gwen, my mind began to roam and I got to thinking about Aunt May. She was the only family I had left, but she couldn't know about my alter-ego. The line was drawn there, and only Gwen had crossed it.

I looked down at Gwen. She had one hand tight in a fist around my sweatshirt, and her head on my chest. She looked so beautiful.

In the corner of my mind, I knew there were still things to discuss. Plans to make. But right now, I didn't want to think about any of the serious stuff. I wanted to enjoy this moment. I grinned and drifted off into sleep…

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GWEN P.O.V.

I was slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. I groaned and rolled over, knowing that it was too early to be awake. Then the memories from last night came rushing back. _Peter_.

My eyes open, expecting to see a sleeping Peter Parker to be in my sights. But the bed was empty. Oh crap, was that all a dream? I groaned in frustration. I really should stop having those dreams, they were making me crazy. Someone laughed. No, not someone, I _knew_ that laugh. I shot up into a sitting position, turning my body to face the sound. Peter Parker was standing in the corner of my room, wearing his Spider-Man suit sans mask. I smiled. Good, I'm not going crazy. Those memories were real.

"Hey, what time is it?" I yawned, wiping the sleep from my eyes. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to me on the mattress.

"Five-fifteen," he responded. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I should probably go and check out the streets before school," he said, lifting his hand to my face. I caught it with both of my hands and leaned into his palm.

"Okay. But on two conditions," I started. "One, you be careful. Don't you dare get into anything that is too much for you to handle," I stated seriously. I knew that once he jumped out of my window, I would be wide awake, worrying about him. "And two, you come by and pick me up for school at 8 o'clock," I finished, smiling at him.

Peter gave me a quick kiss, and then pulled back to search my face. I guess whatever he found there was good enough for him. "Deal. I'll meet you downstairs. Maybe you could talk to that doorman about having to search me before walking in his door, or else I'm just going to be coming through your window all the time," he laughed, standing up, pulling on his mask and making his way to the window. He put one leg out, and then looked back at me, "I love you," he stated, then jumped out of the window.

I laid back down, staring up at the ceiling. I tried to not think about all the ways Peter could get hurt swinging through the city of New York, and failed miserably.

* * *

Two hours later, I found myself walking into the kitchen, after throwing on some clothes for school. My mom was already up, sitting at the table, staring at her cooling cup of coffee. The boys were eating pop tarts in the living room, watching some cartoon I had no desire to watch. I said good morning to my mother, and she replied, turning her head towards me and throwing on a fake smile.

I took a mug from the overhead cabinet, and filled it with a mug of my own coffee. I grabbed a bagel and sat down right next to my mom. She was staring off into space, as was her per usual lately.

"Mom, do you remember Peter Parker? The one who came to dinner a while back?" I asked, trying to get her to talk.

She turned her head to look at me. "Yes, I remember Peter. I thought you guys broke up," she replied. I could tell she was trying; she was trying so hard to be normal in this one second, for me.

Well, technically, we did break up; but it wasn't like I could tell my mother that we broke up because of Dad's promise. And I also couldn't tell her about why we were back together. I took a deep breath. "Well, uh, we never really broke up," I lied, "I asked him to give me a little space after-well, just after what happened. He did. He didn't like it, but he did. I still saw him at school and everything," I continued, as the lies poured easier from my mouth. "But now, were back together," I finished; at least that wasn't a lie. We were together again.

"Oh, honey, I had no idea. I'm sorry I haven't been the greatest Mom these past few weeks," she replied, taking my hand on the table.

"Mom, it's not your fault. I know you miss him; I do too," I told her, trying to comfort her. She was worried about being a bad mother? I think she deserved to be out of it, her husband died. And my daddy.

She straightened up in her seat, and started fussing. "To make up for it, ask Peter if he will join us for dinner tonight. I'll make chicken pot pie. We all know how well the fish turned out last time. Just, see if he will come tonight," she finished hurriedly, grabbing her coffee and making her way to the kitchen to clean up. She was focused now that she had something to occupy her mind other than Dad.

I finished my cup of coffee and picked at my bagel. School started at nine, and Peter would be here at eight. I looked at the clock; I had ten minutes until I should start heading downstairs. I walked into my room and gathered up my school books, placing them in my bag. I looked around my room, and picked up a few things off of the floor and straightened my sheets on my bed, trying to waste time. I would see peter in ten minutes. I couldn't help myself as I smiled. It had been a long morning.

When I convinced myself that it was the correct time to head downstairs, I grabbed my stuff and walked out of my room and down the hall. Walking out of the door, I yelled goodbye to my family. I practically ran to the elevator in my excitement, jamming the down button several times.

* * *

Downstairs, I walked out of the building, only to be greeted by Stan, the doorman. I walked up to him, smiling.

"Hey Stan, I have this friend, Peter Parker. If he comes by here, if you could send him up without all of the security measures, that would be great." I told him as nicely as I possibly could.

"Of course, Ms. Gwen," he replied, turning away from me to talk to another resident.

I took a few steps forward, peering down the sidewalk to see if I could see Peter coming. Nothing. A hand descended down on my shoulder from behind me. Adrenaline pumped through me as I spun around, ready to punch whoever was behind me. I was relieved to see it was Peter. Was he always that quiet?

"Geez, Peter. You scared me half to death! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I said, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

He laughed and put his hands up. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," he innocently replied. After I calmed down, it hit me that Peter was _here_. He came, and as far as I could see, he wasn't injured in any way. Relief flooded through me, and I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He automatically put his arms around my waist, hugging me back. I buried my face in the fabric of his hoodie, smelling the unmistakable scent of one Peter Parker.

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**AN: Okay, so I didn't plan to name the doorman Stan, but I thought it fit for a doorman….But I didn't realize it at the time that I was naming him "Stan the doorman" hehe.**

**As Always, I'd love to know what you guys thought! I love getting reviews, they propel me to write more chapters faster!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello you gorgeous (or handsome, depending if you're a guy) readers! Get ready for chapter 5! It took me two days to write this, and I'm sorry, but I had some of my own research to do for this story for future chapters! But this is the longest chapter yet!  
**

**ENJOY!**

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_Previously:_

"_Geez, Peter. You scared me half to death! Don't sneak up on me like that!" I said, taking deep breaths to calm myself down._

_ He laughed and put his hands up. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," he innocently replied. After I calmed down, it hit me that Peter was here. He came, and as far as I could see, he wasn't injured in any way. Relief flooded through me, and I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He automatically put his arms around my waist, hugging me back. I buried my face in the fabric of his hoodie, smelling the unmistakable scent of one Peter Parker._

* * *

GWEN P.O.V.

It was the morning rush in New York, so the Subway was crowded. People were everywhere, and if I wasn't holding on Peter's hand tightly, we could've gotten separated. Usually, my dad would drop me off at school on his way to work, but since his death, my mom had taken up the job. I only rode the Subway to school if both of my parents were out. It was worse in the summer, when the Subway stations were disgustingly hot; it was even worse when the place was packed. All the other times of the year, I liked the Subway. It was kind of a hobby of mine to watch all of the people, and try to figure out what they were thinking and where they were going.

As we neared the end of the stairs, we could hear the next train coming. Peter smiled at me, and then picked up the pace, so that we were running, hand in hand. I laughed out loud, just so happy that Peter was with me. This is the happiest I've been since my dad died, and it's all because of Peter. We reached the platform just in time for the train to stop.

Peter pulled me into the closest Subway car. It was packed with people, with no seats left, so we were forced to stand and hold onto one of the polls in the middle of the Subway car. Peter let my hand go, so I could hold on with both hands. With Peter still behind me, he put his arms around me, placing his hands next to mine on the pole, so that our hands were touching. I'm glad my back was to him, because he would've seen the ridiculously big blush that spread over my cheeks.

Peter leaned towards my ear, "Did I ever tell you about the time I was on the Subway and I had just gotten bit by the Spider?" he whispered. I giggled and turned my head in the direction of his voice.

"No," I responded, just as quiet.

"Well, I pretty much beat everyone up," he stated, and then added, "accidentally". He kissed my cheek, but I was shocked. He beat up everyone in a Subway car? Why would he do that? As if he read my mind he continued, "I had no idea what was going on with the whole spider powers thing yet, or how to control it," he stated then laughed. "I was apologizing profusely the whole time," he finished, smiling at the hilarity.

I dropped my smile jokingly. "Are you going to beat up everyone in this car, Spiderman?" I asked quietly. His grin grew wider.

"Only if someone looks at you the wrong way," he said playing along.

The rest of the ride we spent talking about the past few weeks. I told him about how all of my distant family came to visit, to make sure we were ok. About all of the ridiculous family drama that erupted between my father's mother and my mother about a dumb china plate. He laughed and went on to tell me how Aunt May had been fussing with him about going out and returning all bruised up. And how Aunt May had decided to try an intervention for his quote 'violence addiction'.

"I mean, if she thinks I'm doing some weird fight club, that's fine with me. Better for her to think that than knowing the truth," he said. I frowned.

"What did she think when you came home after the-uh, incident at OSCORP all bloodied with a bullet wound?" I asked hesitantly. No way could he say he got a bullet from a fight club.

"I told her that it was in the ruckus from the city being evacuated. That the police were firing everywhere to try and kill Dr. Connors, and that I got grazed," he replied, voice even.

I turned around in his arms to look at his face. Both of his arms were still around me, and looking up into his eyes, I felt safe. Something you didn't feel very often in New York City. His face was serious, not the light-hearted Peter I had witnessed a few moments ago. The train pulled to a stop. "This is us," I told him quietly.

He let his arms drop from around me, grabbing my hand with one of his, and pulled me to the exit. I had to change the subject. That's when I remembered about my mother's offer.

"Oh, hey," I said while we were walking up the steps of the Subway. "My Mom would like you to come over for dinner tonight. She's making chicken pot pie. And she told me to invite you. She's really excited to have something to do," I told him, smiling. "No fish, I promise."

He looked over at me, scanning my face. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" he probed. I knew instantly what he was referring too; the empty seat at the table.

I stuck my ground. "Peter, no one blames you. It is not your fault my father is dead, OK? You have nothing to feel bad about," I replied confident. I had never thought it was Peter's fault. Not for one second. He claims to have given the formula to Connors, but it was Connors decision to repeatedly use it for bad. It was Connors who killed my father, not Peter. I wish he'd accept that. "Please, Peter? For Me?" I asked, giving him my best puppy dog face. We weren't far from school now; I could see it down the street.

He sighed, looking forward, contemplating it. It was a few seconds before he looked back at my face and exclaimed, "Alright, alright!" I squealed and jumped up to kiss his cheek. This was a big step for him, and I was happy that maybe he would start to accept that he didn't kill my father.

"Eight o'clock!" I told him, over exuberant.

"Should I bring a fancy suit this time?" he asked, smiling at my happiness. "Or should I wear this?"

"You'd be perfect either way," I stated. I didn't care what he would wear, as long as he was there. We were right in front of the school now. He stopped suddenly and I turned to face him.

He pulled me forward and kissed my lightly on my lips. Pressing our foreheads together, his lips lingered so close to my face. I couldn't feel anything else but the electricity that sparkled between us. Then the bell rang, ripping us from our own little world. He groaned.

"School just ruins everything," he stated. I laughed and backed up a few steps to give him a little space to breathe. "Come on, can't make you late for class," he said, pulling me towards the school.

* * *

That day, we rarely left each other's sides. Every class we had together, we sat next to each other, talking until the teacher demanded our attention. During passing period, we walked down the hall hand in hand, smiling at each other like fools. And at lunch, we found a table outside in the courtyard that was just us. We ate and Peter talked about his latest Spider-Man adventures.

* * *

When school ended Peter explained that he had to patrol the streets for a bit and go home to see Aunt May, before coming over to my house. He walked me to my apartment complex, and I brought him in to show Stan the doorman that he was the Peter Parker I was talking about.

But I didn't want to say goodbye to him yet, so dragged him up to my apartment, claiming that he had never rode the elevator and didn't know which door it was. When I opened the door, I could tell no one was home. My mother left a note on the counter that stated that she was at the grocery store to get some ingredients. My brothers were probably still at school.

Peter asked if he could use the bathroom, and I pointed him in the right direction. While he was in the bathroom, I went into my room and threw all of my school stuff on the floor, and clicked my computer on. When Peter came out, he was wearing his Spider-Man suit. I smiled. _Damn_, he looked good in spandex. He walked over to where I was standing, and I smirked.

"You do know that you aren't wearing your mask, right?" I asked him. He grinned right back at me.

"Well, with that mask on, I can't do this," he said. His hands came up to my face and he pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around him, and pulled him closer. After a few minutes, he pulled back to stare into my face.

"You have to go, don't you?" I asked, wishing he'd stay.

"I do if you want me to be back in time for dinner," he reasoned.

I pulled him in for one more quick kiss then pushed him towards my window. "Go save some people," I told him. "But be careful!" He nodded, pulling on his mask. He opened the window smoothly and climbed out onto the fire escape. I ran over to the window to watch him. He held one of his hands out towards the building next to this one, and swung down; making his way down the street and out of sights.

* * *

At seven-thirty, I was ready for dinner, wearing a simple black skirt and pink sweater. My mother was frantically cleaning the house. And my brothers were playing some violent game on the TV, so I got stuck with helping set the table. After that was done, I went back into my room, doing some homework for Physics to pass the time.

At seven fifty-five, my phone dinged. I got out of my chair to grab my phone off of my bed. It was a text message from Peter.

**I might be a few minutes late. **

I quickly texted him back, telling him that it was OK, but to hurry because dinner was almost ready. I took my phone, and walked out of my room heading to the kitchen, where my mom was working busily in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," I started, "Peter says he's going to be a few minutes late". She turned to look at me.

"Oh, that's good!" she replied thankfully.

"Good? Why is that good?" I asked, my pulse picking up. Did she know something?

"Well, the Chicken Pot Pie isn't quite done yet," she stated. "It might be another ten minutes before I can take it out".

"Oh," I responded, taking a deep breath. I freaked out over nothing.

I walked over to the living room, where my brothers were and sat down next to them, mindlessly watching their game, gripping my phone. There was something that seemed…off. I couldn't place it, but I could feel it. I shook my head. No, this is me being paranoid. Peter's first dinner with my family didn't go over so well, so it was probably just the nerves.

At five after eight, I texted Peter, asking him how far away he was from the apartment. At ten after eight, I tried calling him, only to get his voicemail. I started to panic. Was he ditching me? Or is something wrong?

When the sound of knocking came from our door, I jumped up and ran for the door, quickly opening it. See? You're making stuff up, I told myself. But it wasn't Peter on the other side, but our neighbor, Mrs. Shelly.

"Oh, hi," I greeted. "Um, do you need something?" I asked, impatiently.

She was looking around wildly. She was always a little crazy. "Have you seen the news?" she asked. I cocked my head to the side, confused.

"No. Why would we need to see the news?" I asked. What was going on?

"Turn it on. Now. Channel 4." She stated, then turned around and briskly walked right back to her apartment, locking the door behind her. I stared after her, confused. The news? What's on the news? I turned around, and walked into the living room, grabbing the controller from my brother, switching off his game.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" he shouted, running in to tell Mom about what I did. But I didn't care. I switched the TV on channel 4. A reporter was talking about some incident. But then the camera panned out to show us the scene. There was a very tall, but somewhat lanky man, who seemed to be throwing balls of fire, the size of basketballs around. At what, I couldn't see. What caught me off guard was that he seemed to be _glowing_ a red-orange color. People don't just _glow._ Civilians were running around, screaming, causing chaos. My blood ran cold. Right there, dodging the huge balls of fire, was Spider-Man.

* * *

**AN: Im sorry im sorry im sorry I left you with that cliffy! I created my own little villain, because while I could use of of Spider-Man's usual nemesis', I thought it would be cool to create my own! But I came up with a whole backstory and stuff on why he's that way….so get ready! **

**So, as always, tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! So quick thing, some lovely reviewer pointed out that my villain sounded like Molten Man. Honestly, I had no idea who that was or what he did, so I googled him…he wasn't quite how I pictured my villain (you'll get a better visual in this chapter) and my villain has a completely different backstory. So im going to stick with the one I made up…But I'm glad someone pointed that out! So thanks! **

**So now, onto the LONGEST chapter yet!**

* * *

_Previously:_

_There was a very tall, but somewhat lanky man, who seemed to be throwing balls of fire, the size of basketballs around. At what, I couldn't see. What caught me off guard was that he seemed to be glowing a red-orange color. People don't just glow. Civilians were running around, screaming, causing chaos. My blood ran cold. Right there, dodging the huge balls of fire, was Spider-Man. _

* * *

PETER POV

Launching myself out of Gwen's window, I swung down the streets, keeping my senses on high alert for anything that needed my attention. The streets were boring during the afternoon, since most of the bad guys waited until dark to do their dirty work. After 30 minutes of swinging aimlessly around, I swung up on the roof of the closest building. Taking a seat on the ledge of the building, I grabbed my backpack and pulled it around so I could have access to it. First I checked my phone. I decided I should be home around six to see Aunt May. That would be plenty of time to explain my absence and tell her I was going over to Gwen's.

Throwing my phone back into the pocket of my backpack, I pulled the straps back on my shoulders. Standing up, I slung some webbing over to the building on my right side, swinging down off of the building.

The sensation of flying like this always left me exhilarated. The pure adrenaline that pumped through my body pushed me forward, shooting more web onto the next building.

After another twenty minutes of nothing, I decided I should start making my way home. I dropped into an abandoned alley, quickly taking out my regular clothes out of my backpack and throwing them on over my suit. Once I was positive no sign of my suit could be seen, I made my way out of the ally, blending into the crowd.

* * *

I was glad that for once, I didn't have to try and sneak in the back door. Since today had been uneventful, I didn't have any bruises that she hasn't seen before. I walked up to the front door, pulling out my key and unlocking it. Walking in, I discarded my backpack by the stairs, and made my way into the living room. Aunt May was sitting on the couch, mindlessly watching some program that was on. I came in, and sat down next to her. I could feel Aunt May turn to inspect me. Her eyes raked over my body for any injuries. Once she was satisfied she turned her head back to the TV.

"Do you know what you would like for dinner tonight, Peter?" Aunt May asked me, still mindlessly looking at the screen. She was watching the news. I hoped that there wasn't going to be anything on Spider-Man. If she saw on film some footage of Spider-Man getting injured in the same place I had an injury at some time, it wouldn't take long for Aunt May to put two and two together. She always was a smart one. I turned all of my attention to her.

"Actually, Aunt May, Gwen Stacy invited me to have dinner with her family tonight at eight," I told her, preparing myself for Aunt May's reaction.

Her head snapped back to look at me. "Oh, Peter!" she exclaimed. "I knew that you would come to your senses!" She grabbed me, and hugged me. I hugged her back, glad to have someone to talk to about Gwen. Even though I couldn't tell her everything, I could tell her something that wasn't so far from the truth. Like how I really really liked Gwen. But I didn't think Aunt May needed to know just how much I liked Gwen right now. Aunt May pulled back, still holding onto my arms.

"See? I told you. You are always good enough. I know you are, and so does Gwen," Aunt May spoke, genuinely smiling for the first time since Uncle Ben passed. I couldn't help but grin right back at her.

After a few moments, I excused myself to go upstairs and get some homework done. Aunt May shooed me off, still smiling. On my way up to my room, I couldn't help but thinking that the promise I broke didn't just make Gwen and I happier, but also Aunt May. The whole way to my room, I couldn't keep the smile off of my face, feeling as though everything was finally settling down.

* * *

When it was seven, I decided I should start and get ready. I wanted to wear something nicer than I usually wore, but there was no way I was going to wear a tux. I didn't even think I owned one. Shedding my over clothes, I put on a nicer polo shirt and a clean pair of jeans. I looked at myself in the mirror, messing up my hair a little bit more. Once I was sure I looked good, I made my way downstairs.

The news was still on, but Aunt May had lain down to take a nap on the sofa. I quickly wrote her a note that I had left, and put it on the coffee table in front of her. I walked towards the door, one hand on the door knob, getting ready to open it, when I heard the TV. I stopped, senses prickling, and quietly made my way back to the living room, dropping down in front of the TV. I used the manual controls to turn the volume down, afraid Aunt May would wake up to the ruckus.

A woman reporter was talking into the camera, but I didn't care about her. There was something terribly wrong. The reporter was talking about some disturbance with fire and some large figure. I looked down on the headlines to find it at forty-seventh street. Jamming my finger at the off button, I walked quickly but silently out of the house. I had to go check this out. If something bad was happening, I was going to have to stop it. Once out of the house, I ran to closest subway station, getting on the express train that would take me to forty-second.

* * *

When the train stopped, I was the first out of the Subway, running as fast as I could out of the underground station. It was starting to get dark outside; I could see that the street lamps had come on. Slipping between two buildings, I hurriedly took of my clothes, revealing my red and blue suit underneath. Shoving my clothes in my backpack, I then grabbed my mask and gloves, quickly putting them on. Once I had succeeded zipping up my backpack, I ran back out of the alley, swinging the final few blocks down the street.

Once I got closer, I noticed that there were more and more people scattering. I needed to be smart about this. I needed to take a look at what I was getting myself into. So I spit out a web at the apex of the next building in my sights. I calculated that I was a little less than a block away from where the reporter said.

Landing on the building, I crouched, looking over at the scene down the street. All I could see was more people screaming and running away. I looked around more, trying to see what was causing all the panic. There were a few buildings that were caught on fire, if that wasn't taken care of soon enough, the building would definitely burn down. But I couldn't see any firemen anywhere. Hopefully they were on the way.

That's when I saw it, or him? There was a large figure, towering over all of the people, glowing a bright orange color. He seemed to have very large, over proportionate hands. It wasn't until he decided to throw something did I see. He was throwing _fire_. That's when I understood. He wasn't glowing, he was _burning_. He was throwing fire at the buildings. That's why they were burning. This thing was going to burn down half of New York City if I didn't stop it. I looked at my options.

Well, if he was indeed burning, maybe using water would put him out? There was a fire hydrant a half-block away from where the burning thing was. If only I could lure it next to the hydrant, I would be able to put it out. One thing I knew for sure though was that this wasn't going to be a quick and easy stunt to pull off. I was supposed to be at Gwen's in-I looked at my watch-ten minutes! There was no way I was going to be able to get this guy and get over to Gwen's in time. I pulled out my cell phone, quickly typing a text to Gwen about how I was going to be late, and then prepared myself.

I had no idea what this thing was, or what it could do, other than throw balls of fire. This was exactly the kind of thing Gwen wanted me to stay out of, but if I just walked away, a lot of people would get hurt.

* * *

GWEN P.O.V

I stood in horror watching my boyfriend fight this guy. That is, if the thing was a guy, because personally, it just looked like a big glob. I was frozen where I stood, not being able to move or breathe. I heard my mother's footsteps come from out of the kitchen.

"Gwen?" she asked. I could respond to her now, all of my attention was on Peter. "Gwen honey, where's Peter?" she asked worriedly. I think she was afraid that I was stood up, or something. I didn't know, but I knew I had to come up with something quickly to keep Peter's cover.

I turned around to look at her quickly before turning back to the TV. She was wiping her hands on a towel, staring at me. Still facing the TV, I replied, "Oh, he got stuck what with all of this commotion going on. Um-he-he will be here after it-uh, dies down a bit." Maybe if since she didn't see my face, she won't catch onto my huge lie, or see my face and just know that there is a huge rock of worry weighing me down while watching this broadcast.

* * *

PETER POV

I calculated that it would only take me three or four swings to get to the guy. I needed to somehow get his attention-no, I had to aggravate him to get him to chase me. This shouldn't be so hard…

I took off my backpack, shoving it in the corner of the roof. I would get it later. Throwing my first web, I swung off of the building I was on, and flew quickly to the next building, making my way down the street. When I knew I had one more swing to reach this thing, I shot the web, and then quickly catapulted down right in front of it. This thing was gigantic! He was at least two or three times taller than I was. There was a faint outline of a person inside of it, but I couldn't see any kind of features. _What the hell was this thing?_

It stopped for a moment to look at me, and then turned around, ignoring me. I shot another web up, and flew over this thing, landing in front of it again. The thing grunted, and took a step forward. I stood my ground, waiting for it to make its move. It held its place for a few seconds, towering over me. I could feel the heat radiating off of it, making me feel like I was in a huge oven.

It took a move to swing at me, but I quickly dodged it, jumping back a few yards. The burning blob then ran at me, full speed. Man, was that thing _quick! _I barely had enough time to move out of the way. His arm brushed the side of my torso, and I could feel the heat scorch my side. I faltered for a moment, realizing I underestimated his speed, and got at least a second degree burn in the process. But I just quickly shook my head; I would worry about that later. Right now, I needed to smother this thing.

I shot some web at a building down the street, making sure to not be too high up that he couldn't see me, but not low enough that he could touch me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I was watching his progress. He was incredibly _fast. _He was so close to me, that as I was shooting web, I was dodging him. He could also _jump. _Every time I swung down, he jumped up to try and catch me. I was getting a few burns on my legs in the process. So, obviously, this thing was not human. A living torch. Oh, Gwen was _not _going to be happy with me.

It was when I felt the thing swipe my back, I fell. Hot pain jolted up my back, making me grunt in pain. I landed on the ground, but it was all so fast, that I couldn't take control of my landing, and I landed on my wrist, hearing it crunch under me. I was lying on my stomach, pretty sure I couldn't get up. But I had to try, or I was going to get burned to death. I looked up, and four yards away was the fire hydrant. Yes! I had made it. I turned my head, to see the Torch walking slowly up to where I was laying. When I calculated that he was close enough, I shot webs at his face, only momentarily blinding him before the web burned. In that time, I turned to shoot web at a nearby heavy trash can across the street. With the rest of my strength, I pulled the trash can and shot it at the fire hydrant.

As soon as the impact was made, a huge cascade of water spewed out of the hydrant, soaking everything. I turned to look at the torch, I couldn't see much with all of the water, but I heard a cackling sound, and I could swear I saw him _shrinking_. For a split second, I could see through the water raining down, and what I saw, was a man standing where the torch was. He looked at me, and then shot down the closest alleyway. I laid there for a few minutes, trying to get my bearings. The feel of the rain pouring on my burns was so incredibly soothing, that I didn't want to get up. But I knew that if I stayed here, someone would send paramedics to check me out, and I was still in my Spider-Man suit. I couldn't let that happen. I rolled onto my side, and with my good wrist, shot a web at the building in the opposite direction that the Torch had gone in. Pulling my sore body off of the concrete, I was able to swing down the street, with my one good arm, letting my other arm hang limply at my side.

I first made my way towards the building I stashed my book bag on. I feebly pulled myself onto the building, grabbing my backpack and wincing when it touched my back. I couldn't have this thing bouncing around on my back. I shook it off, and pulled the straps around my head, using pressure from my elbows to keep it in place. I was starting to feel light headed. I looked down at my torso. My suit was ripped and I could see blood trickling down my torso and my legs from where the Torch hit me.

I had to get to Gwen's house.

* * *

**AN: Well! What do you think? I'm really excited for the next chapter! Poor Peter, I wonder how mad Gwen will be! ;D **

**As Always, my lovely readers, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello Everyone! Sorry it took a while to post, but I've been busy at work, and I wanted to get this right! **

**Plus, in the process of writing this chapter, I looked up burns….let's just say NEVER Google image burns. Its nasty….so if my info is a little wrong, I'm sorry, but I'd rather not look at pictures of realllly bad burns.**

* * *

_Previously:_

_I was starting to feel light headed. I looked down at my torso. My suit was ripped and I could see blood trickling down my torso and my legs from where the Torch hit me._

_ I had to get to Gwen's house. _

* * *

GWEN P.O.V.

The news camera followed, or at least, attempted to follow the fight between Spider-Man and this-well, this fire guy. I tried to take a few deep breaths; Peter knew what he was doing. But I lost all my control when the thing swiped at Peter again.

I stood feet away from the TV, never blinking, terrified that I might miss something. But it was moving so fast, that the camera guy couldn't keep up, and I only saw glimpses of Peter. But it was enough to know that he was still alive.

At some point, my brothers were all behind me, telling me to move from the TV. I didn't turn, but took a few steps back, until I could feel the couch behind me, and sat down. The camera guy turned back to the reporter, who stated that they had lost track of the fight, and that the NYPD was forcing them back. I stood up, throwing my hands in the air, anger flooding through me. Now I couldn't even keep track of where Peter was! I had no way of knowing if he was ok, no way of knowing if he was dead or alive.

I couldn't just stand here and do nothing! I walked quickly to my room, closing the door behind me. I couldn't move. I leaned up against the door, and stood there. I had to _do_ something. I couldn't just stand here and not know what happened. Maybe I could go down to where they were reporting, and see if he needed my help. But no, I couldn't do that. Not only would that put both of us in danger, but if I went down there demanding to see Spider-Man, people could become suspicious.

Peter would come to me, right? I mean, he'd come straight here? Unless…my chest tightened, unless he was in an alley somewhere unconscious. That's if he survived the giant fire thing. First he'd have to get rid of that thing; or it would have to escape.

I walked slowly over to my bed, and grabbed my phone. Peter wouldn't answer his phone, but maybe if I left him a message, and he saw it after, he'd know to come here. I typed him a message telling him to call or come by as soon as possible, then threw my phone down.

I collapsed on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I decided that if Peter didn't text me within the hour, I would go out and find him. I didn't care about the risks; I just needed to know he was OK. He-he just had to be OK.

I watched the clock on the bedside table. Only seven minutes had passed before there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I groaned, moving into a sitting position. The door opened to reveal my littlest brother. He looked excited. Bouncing up and down, filled with exhilaration.

"Gwen! Gwen! You should've _seen_ it!" he yelled, running in my room stand in front of me.

"What?" I asked dully. I really didn't have time for this; I had other things on my mind. My brother just continued smiling and jumping.

"Spider-Man totally just kicked that guy's butt! He lured the fire guy to the water hydrant, and drowned the thing in water! It was so cool!" he exclaimed, looking at me with wild eyes.

I paused. "Wait. What? Slow down. What happened?" I asked frantically. If Peter was safe…

"Well, I didn't actually see it, but the news person interviewed eye witnesses! They say that the fire-y thing ran away after getting drenched!" He was clearly proud that he was the bearer of the news.

"But, Spider-Man's alright? Did they say if Spider-Man was OK?" I asked, taking ahold of his arms, trying to keep him in one place.

"Well, I don't think anyone saw him after he broke the hydrant, so probably," he stated happily. For him, it was one of his Saturday morning cartoons coming to life, to me, it was my worst nightmare.

* * *

I had told my brother to tell my mom that I didn't feel too well, and that I was going to lie down until I got a call from Peter about when he was going to get here. To my family, Peter was just caught up in traffic, to me, Peter was probably severely injured. Hopefully, he had gotten my text and was on his way over. Maybe…maybe I should get some supplies. Be prepared for when he comes.

I walked to my door, opening it a crack to check if the coast was clear. When I was satisfied that no one was near, I ran across the hall to the bathroom. Thankfully, since my father was a cop, we had a pretty big first-aid kit. Just in case my father got into any struggles at work. I grabbed the kit, and ran back across the hall to my room, closing my door quietly, and locking it. I placed the kit on bed, opening it. I wouldn't know what I needed until Peter got here. There was a bunch of bandages, creams of all sorts, and a bunch of other things that might be useful. I stood and took a deep reassuring breath. He was on his way, he just had to be.

I looked over to the window, and suddenly I couldn't wait for him to come to the fire escape. I ran over to my window, and threw open the pane. Sticking my head out, I looked left and right, straining to catch sight of a red and blue suit swinging towards my apartment. There was nothing.

I pulled my head back, and took a few steps back to sit in the seat next to the window. I sat there, staring at the window. Ten minutes passed, and still no sign of Peter. That's it, I couldn't take it anymore. I got up from the chair and made my way over to my cell phone I had thrown on my bed. Picking my phone up, I dialed Peter's number. If he didn't pick up, I was going out after him.

The phone dialed, but then instead of hearing my phone ring, a ringing noise came from behind me. I swiveled around quickly, phone still stuck to my ear. There was a figure sitting on my fire escape. My heart suddenly thudded in my head.

"Should I answer it?" A smiling Peter asked me, holding up his phone.

"Oh, God Peter," I threw my phone on my bed and ran to him. I had no idea whether to feel relieved or terrified or angry, I was just happy that he was here, alive. "What the _hell_ happened? How badly are you hurt?" I asked, frantically searching him for injuries. He had some blood on his right side, as well as on his leg. He was really injured. I had no idea how much blood he lost, and that scared me. If his injuries were too big for me to handle, I was taking him to the hospital, and he wouldn't be able to persuade me otherwise.

He feebly smiled at me. "Well, to your first question, I have no idea; I'm still trying to figure that out. And to your second question, I have burns on my side and leg, and I think I have a broken wrist," he stated calmly, lifting his arm to show his limp hand. I gasped. He was hurt badly, but my mind went elsewhere, what if we were still on non-speaking terms? Then where would he go? The terror seized me and I could feel tears well into my eyes. I looked at the ceiling, choking back my tears. Once I had my emotions under control, I looked back at him. He was obviously in pain, and I needed to stop that bleeding before he lost too much blood.

I gave him my hand, "Can you get over to my bed, so I can look at your injuries properly?" I asked. He just nodded, and grabbed my hand with his good wrist, pulling himself up. Once he was standing, I put his arm around me, and helped him limp across my room and sat him down on my bed, ordering him to lie down, and moving the first-aid kit to the floor. I didn't let him see, but every time his breath caught in pain, my stomach dropped. He-he just had to be alright, for me. I couldn't see him in this kind of pain.

Once he was lying down, I decided I was going to have to take off his skin-tight suit to get to his injuries better. I told him this and he put his good hand to his mouth, using his teeth to take off his glove. He tossed it to his side.

"You might want to do that other one, I can't really move that hand," he stated. I gently sat down next to him, carefully taking his hand and putting it in my lap.

He hissed in pain. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I told him, trying to keep my calm. I found the edge of his glove, and slowly rolled back the spandex, until it was completely off of his hand. I looked up at his face, and he had his eyes closed, and his mouth was pressed together tightly. All I wanted was to be able to make the look on his face to evaporate. I would do anything to take away the pain.

"I-I think I'm going to go ahead and wrap this first, before I do anything else," I told him, voice faltering. He nodded, his eyes still closed. I leaned down, and grabbed one of the bandages from the kit, and gently wrapped it around his wrist. Once I was satisfied that his wrist wasn't going to move, I moved to the next task. I slowly pulled his suit down to his waist, taking extra caution while pulling it out of the blood on this right side. I grabbed a towel from the kit, and slightly wet it with a water bottle that was on my bedside table. I gently mopped up the excess blood from around his wound. He was burnt, pretty bad. There was a rectangle of skin on his right side, which was completely burnt off. It was done oozing blood, but it was a large patch of angry red.

I kneeled down on the floor, shuffling through the kit. There were huge bandages, which would do perfectly fine in covering it, but I felt that I needed something to go on the burn. I found a bottle that had some kind of salve that was to be put on burns. I read the label, twice, before deciding that this was what I needed. I took another towel, dampening it with the salve. I gently dabbed it on the burn, then placed the bandage on top of it.

I took a deep breath and looked at Peter. He had opened his eyes, and he was watching me. I bent down to the kit, bringing out some extra strength aspirin. I gave them to him, and he gladly took them, putting them in his mouth and swallowing.

As it looked, he had two more burns. They were both on his right leg. One was on ankle and the other one was on the side of his calf and made its way up to his knee. I had no idea how I was going to get to those injuries unless it involved him completely taking his suit off. And I was pretty sure he didn't have anything on under his suit.

I looked up at him. "Peter," I began calmly, "I have to get to these burns, what do you want to do?" I asked. His eyes widened, clearly understanding what I meant.

"Ah-Um, you-uh," he fumbled, looking away, "uh, pull the boot off, and then cut up the leg. I'll-ah-just-um-patch it up later," he finished. I nodded, making my way to the foot of the bed. I carefully pulled the boot off, which revealed the first burn, and half of the second. I cleaned the burn on his ankle, before adding the salve and bandage. Taking a pair of scissors out of the kit, I smoothly cut up the suit, until I knew I could successfully clean the wound. I cleaned it up, and put the salve and bandage on it. Once I was done, I looked at Peter.

"Did I get them all?" I asked, searching his body for more blood. He pushed his way up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, think so," he responded. I looked at him worriedly, afraid that at any second he could keel over and collapse.

"Can you move?" I asked, returning to sitting beside him. He just looked at me and smiled.

"Yeah. Hey, can you throw me my backpack? I should probably change. Still have a dinner to get to," he responded, pointing to the backpack that he had shed on the fire escape.

I got up, moving towards the window to grab his backpack. "Are you sure you're well enough to attend a dinner?" I asked, giving him his backpack. He opened it with his good hand, pulling out a polo shirt, jeans and converse. He had just gotten attacked, and we needed to talk about what happened; and yet, he wanted to go and eat dinner with my family.

"Yes," he replied confidently, but I could tell in his eyes that he knew we needed to talk. He grabbed his shirt and expertly pulled it on with one hand.

Giving him privacy to change, I took the supplies and walked across the hall to put them back from where I got them. I stood at the sink, taking deep breaths. How could Peter so lightly brush this off? He almost _died_, and he was talking like nothing happened. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to him, but it was to me. I closed the door as I felt the tears brim over my eyes and spill down my face.

* * *

**AN: Oh Wow. Can I just say how much I love Peter and Gwen? And, why can't 2014 get here sooner? I want a sequel movie! **

**Anyway, lovely readers, my fangirling aside, please review and tell me what you think! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey beautiful people! Ok, so first, im sooo sooo sooo sorry for the late update. I had a terrible time trying to figure out how to start this chapter….but after I deemed it perfect, the rest came quickly. I just had a lot of fun making this chapter light and humorous! :D Enjoy!**

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_Previously:_

_I stood at the sink, taking deep breaths. How could Peter so lightly brush this off? He almost died, and he was talking like nothing happened. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to him, but it was to me. I closed the door as I felt the tears brim over my eyes and spill down my face._**  
**

* * *

PETER POV

Once Gwen walked out of the room, my smile dropped. _Damn. _Everything hurt. My wrist was definitely the worst off; after Gwen had applied that stuff to my burns, those hadn't been so painful. I knew that in a week, I would be as good as new, thanks to my alter-ego's cool spider powers. But the next few days were going to be _terrible. _

Once I landed, albeit roughly, on Gwen's fire escape, I could tell she was on edge. Once she saw how badly I was hurt, the expression on her face was painful to watch. Her beautiful features twisted into something that made her look terrified. The last time I came to Gwen, she had been worried, but not…not _terrified. _Was it because she fully understood the promise I had made, and attempted to keep, to her father? Was she scared of this…_thing _possibly coming after her? Did she wish that she'd trusted her Dad's judgment more? We needed to talk, badly. But now I was dreading it; I didn't want to lose her after I just got her back.

I looked at my pants on the bed, that I was supposed to be changing into, and inwardly groaned. This might be a little harder than I had previously thought. First things first, I needed to get the remaining pieces of my Spidey suit off. There was really no point in keeping it on; and the dried blood would make it gross to wear.

Holding my breath, I slowly and carefully pulled the rest of my suit off, careful to not ruin the bandages that Gwen had placed. This proved to be very difficult, for I could only use one hand. After probably five straight minutes of trying to get the suit off, I finally succeeded. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my pants and pulled them on gently. Once I was satisfied I was presentable, I laid back down on Gwen's bed. I let my sore muscles settle, as I looked around Gwen's room. I hadn't paid much attention to Gwen's room before; I was always to preoccupied with the _Gwen_ part. But now I saw that she kept it nice and tidy. On her desk, she had textbooks stacked up in an orderly fashion next to her computer. She had a few picture frames on the wall of her family and friends, and I suddenly wished there was a picture of me up there. It would mean that we both knew that I wasn't going anywhere. It would make it official.

I brushed the idea off, and instead focused on the fiery torch thing. Now that I knew that it disliked water, I felt a bit better about meeting it again. But what was I going to do? Carry around a backpack full of water bottles?

I was most worried about what I had seen after the thing got drenched with water. It was...human. Or, it looked human. It definitely ruled out that it was a big robot generator, or anything man-made. It was an actual _man; _which could make it harder to find, because it blended in with the other gazillion people who lived in New York. I groaned. Great, another mutant thing running around New York.

* * *

GWEN'S POV

As my tears flooded out of my eyes, I frantically wiped them away. After a while, I realized it was no use to try and get rid of the tears, new ones just took their place. I was so _scared. _I was scared for Peter. That thing on the TV looked incredibly dangerous. And when Peter came through the window, he was…so …injured. My worst fears were confirmed. I couldn't stand to see him like that.

My fear over the possibility of losing Peter drove my tears. That fire ball thing almost _killed_ him. He almost _died._ I wouldn't know what I would do without him.

But, gosh, what was I doing? I was falling apart while Peter was in the next room. I looked into the mirror. "Shit," I whispered. My face was red, and my eyes were bloodshot. Hello, captain obvious. Peter would instantly know I was crying, and then he'd feel bad. Then the next time he gets hurt, he may just stay in an alley somewhere instead of coming here. I couldn't let that happen. If I couldn't stop him from putting himself in danger, I wanted to know about the aftermath, first hand.

I reached down and grabbed a handful of toilet paper, and dabbed at my eyes, cleaning off the dried streaks that raced down my cheeks. Once I was satisfied, I pulled out some concealer I kept under the counter. I dabbed a little under my eyes, successfully getting rid of the red on my face that would betray me. I stood in front of the mirror, taking deep breaths until I was satisfied that Peter would never know I had been crying.

I walked out of the bathroom, and made my way to my room, quietly knocking on the door, before entering. Peter was lying down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. When I made my way over to the bed, he turned his head, and smiled at me.

I forced a smile in return. "So how are you doing?" Peter slowly sat up, scooting closer to me.

"I am perfect," he replied, bringing his good hand to my face. I sighed and placed my hand over his. "And I am ready to make a good second impression," he finished, quickly kissing my lips before he moved his legs around to the side of the bed, standing up. He started to make his way to the window before I stopped him.

"Are you sure?" I asked, worry seeping into my voice. "I mean, you just got patched up. Don't you want to rest?"

He just smiled at me, and leaped out of my window. I shook my head. He was just…_crazy_. Why was he so intent on getting to this dinner? Why was he brushing off his recent attack like it was nothing? I had to talk to him, and figure out what was going on. Did he have some motive I didn't know about?

I decided that after dinner, I was going to talk to him. I sighed. Damn, it was emotionally tolling to be in love with Spider-Man.

I picked myself up from my bed, and made my way towards the kitchen, spotting my mother fussing over the chicken pot pie.

"Hey Mom, Peter just called me, he said he'd be here any minute," I lied casually. She turned and looked at me.

"Oh thank goodness! It was becoming hard to keep this thing warm," she motioned to the pie. I chuckled a little bit. Of course, while I was worried about Peter's life, she was most worried about keeping dinner warm.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. My mother clapped her hands and motioned me to get the door. I sighed, and walked towards the door, opening it. Peter was standing in the hallway, hands dug deep in his pockets, smiling.

"Oh, Peter! How nice of you to finally make it," I spoke; dripping in it sarcasm that only he would understand. His grin grew wider.

"Yeah. It's great to see you too, Gwen; seems like it's been forever!" Peter responded, playing along. I coughed to cover the bubbling laugh that came to my lips. It had taken Peter four minutes to leave my room and get to my front door.

I moved to the side, holding the door open for him. "Then, by all means, come on in," I said, smiling hugely. He meandered his way in; I could tell it was his way of concealing his limp. He walked over to the living room, where my brothers were still watching the news coverage of the attack. I tensed up, while Peter just relaxed, leaning on the couch.

"Hey, what exactly is going on?" he asked my brothers. They looked up at him in awe. Ever since Spider-Man helped saved the city, my brothers became somewhat fans of him. They always watched the news to see if Spider-Man did anything cool that day.

"You mean you don't know?" asked my oldest brother, curiosity lacing his voice.

"Not really. There was a lot of commotion and people, but I had no idea what was going on," Peter replied, looking at him with complete innocence. What was he doing?

"Well, there was some big giant monster, enflamed in fire. He was throwing these huge balls of fire at buildings and stuff. Well, Spider-Man shows up, but seemed to be getting his butt kicked, until Spider-Man drenches the thing by breaking a fire hydrant!" he exclaims, taking a breath. "It was so awesome, man!"

Peter pretends to take this all in. "Oh, yeah Peter. It was definitely awesome, but it was also very _very_ dangerous for Spider-Man to do something like that without a plan beforehand," I cut in, obviously being the party pooper of this conversation. Peter turned to look at me, and winked, before he turned back to my brothers. I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen to help my mother set the table.

"So, what's going on out there?" My mother asked, lifting a fork and pointing it in the direction of the living room.

"Oh you know, the boys are talking about how amazing Spider-Man is," I sighed, annoyed. It was like Peter was just rubbing salt in the wound. Obviously, he wasn't as traumatized by this situation as I was. My mother looked me over.

"Do you not like Spider-Man saving people?" my mother asked, then added, "Do you not think he's 'awesome' like your brothers do?" If only she knew…

"Mom, there's no question he's amazing," I started, looking down to cover my blush, "but just think of how _dangerous_ it is. I mean, I love how he saves people, but does he have to nearly kill himself every time he does it?" Even if my mother didn't know anything, it was very nice to be able to talk to her about what was bothering me the most, even if it was in a hypothetical situation.

"Honey, the thing is, he's not normal. He has those abilities, and thankfully he uses them for good. Yes, it's dangerous, but I think Spider-Man can handle himself," she said, placing the final plate down on the table. She clapped her hands together. "Now, are we finally ready to eat?" she asked, rhetorically. "Go get the boys, and I'll get the food," she waved at me, shooing me out the door.

I walked back into the living room to find the boys just as I found them, talking about Spider-Man. My littlest brother was standing up on the couch, facing Peter, with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey, time to eat," I announced loudly. They all simultaneously turned to face me. "Ok, freaky much? Come on, time to eat," I moved closer to them, standing next to Peter.

"Aw, Gwen! You ruined all the fun!" my littlest brother pouted, jumping off the couch, and making his way into the dining room. My forehead crinkled in confusion, turning to look at Peter.

"What is going on? Did I miss something?"

Peter laughed, and grabbed my hand. "Well, I'm pretty sure I won your brothers over. They seem to really like Spider-Man." He grinned at me.

"Don't let it go to your head," I replied smirking. "So, was this some bonding moment, or something?"

"Well, when I came in, I saw they were watching the news coverage, so I decided might as well bond over the mysterious Spider-Man," Peter chuckled.

I lightly swatted his arm, "He's not so mysterious," I replied. "But I'm glad that you wanted to make conversation with my brothers. I thought you had gone crazy or something". Peter laughed, and I pulled him into the dining room.

Sitting down, Peter was right next to me. I was hyper-aware of his presence right next to me, making me jumpy. After we all filled our plates, we began to eat. Peter kept sneaking looks at me, making me blush, which is probably why he liked doing it. We ate in silence for a few minutes before my little brother chimed in.

"So, Peter, have you ever seen Spider-Man in person?" he asked excitedly. I almost choked on my food, causing me to cough loudly.

"Gwen, are you alright?" my mother's voice rang. I grabbed my water and took a drink, nodding at my mother that I was fine and to give me a moment. I looked over at Peter, and he had an amused expression on his face. Once he saw that I was fine, he turned to my brother.

"Well, I haven't seen him, but I think I've caught glimpses," he replied nonchalantly.

My brother's eyes widened. "Woah! I think it would be so cool to meet him! He's just so cool!"

Peter grinned. "Ok, let's change the conversation. How was your day today, Mom?" I asked.

"Oh, it was nice. I went to the store today," she replied. "But let's not talk about me. Peter, what are you planning on doing after high school?" she asked, turning her attention to Peter.

Peter chewed and swallowed his food before speaking. "I don't really have a plan, but I'm hoping to do photography," he said, picking up more food with his fork, and putting it in his mouth.

I decided to jump in. "Yeah, Peter is the best photographer I know. He can capture a moment in time so well; it just takes your breath away". I blushed, looking down at my food, a little embarrassed that I had just blurted that out loud. I felt Peter's hand grab mine under the table, and I felt more at ease.

* * *

After dinner, my brothers scurried back to the living room, worried that they had missed some new development on the news. My mother, Peter and I cleaned up dinner. I had tried to get Peter to sit down; there was no way he couldn't be in pain after today. Those burns looked really bad when I patched them up. But he had just brushed it off, claiming he was perfectly fine. After my Mom put the remaining dishes in the dishwasher, she excused herself, claiming she had a headache.

Once she was out of the kitchen, Peter grabbed my arm, pulling me to his side. I rested my head on his shoulder, blowing out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding. I was so comfortable leaning into him like this, I felt so happy when he was near.

But I knew that we were both putting off what really mattered.

"Well, seems like my little brother is a huge fan of Spider-Man," I sighed, smiling up at him. Peter chuckled, and squeezed me tighter.

"And what about you, Gwen? Are you a Spidey fan?" He asked, smiling down at me.

"I am his number one fan," I replied, wrapping my arms around him lightly, careful not to touch the burn on the side of his torso.

We stood there for a few minutes, just relishing in the quiet. I shifted, so I could see his face before speaking.

"Peter, we need to talk".

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** AN: Alright! So same ole' same ole', please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**And this has been bugging me. But first, if you don't know what happens to Gwen in the comics, don't read this next little thought…**

** So, first off, I really hope that the next Amazing Spider-Man movie does not kill of Gwen, like in the comics. Because one, I think I would never recover. Two, Stonefield are just too pretty and I think it would break my heart so badly. Three, I think I would be so upset, I would show up at the doorstep of the producer's houses and demand they change the movie. I mean, they let Gwen live in the Tobey McGuire version of Spider-Man! So they better make her live in this movie series. Because in my mind, Gwen and Peter get married, have lots of Spider babies and live happily ever after. **

** Haha, ok, rant over. I'd love to hear what you guys think! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh gosh, I feel terrible. It's been like, a week since I last updated….and I feel terrible. There is really no excuse for my terrible-ness but, if you want mine, I had to house-sit and 50 percent of the time, I had no WI-FI (*GASP!*) **

**And I want to say, I loveeee all you that reviewed and told me what you thought about Gwen's fate. I would have replied to all of you, but I can't figure out how too…FF has changed since last time I wrote…..so if you could tell me in a review, that would be awesome!**

**READ ON LOVELY READERS!**

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_Previously:_

"_And what about you, Gwen? Are you a Spidey fan?" He asked, smiling down at me._

_ "I am his number one fan," I replied, wrapping my arms around him lightly, careful not to touch the burn on the side of his torso. _

_ We stood there for a few minutes, just relishing in the quiet. I shifted, so I could see his face before speaking. _

_ "Peter, we need to talk"._

* * *

GWEN'S POV

Peter pushed me away slightly to take a good look at my face. "You're not breaking up with me so soon are you?" he asked, smile creeping to his face.

I shook my head lightly, and moved my eyes to his neck. "We just need to talk about what happened today," I told him hoping he wouldn't catch the emotion in my voice. Peter almost _died_ today and then he brushed it off like it was nothing.

Peter's hand grabbed my chin as he brought my face back up to meet his. I didn't know what he saw in my face; my terror, my pain or my worry. But whatever it was, his eyes softened, and he nodded his head in consent, grabbing my hand and quietly pulling me towards the direction of my room.

When we got to my door, I pushed the door open, let Peter inside, and then clicked it shut. I suddenly was nervous. I hadn't thought of what to say. I usually calculate exactly what to say and what to do, but with Peter everything changed. He literally made me speechless, in this moment. There he was standing, in all of his glory, staring at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Uh," I cleared my throat, "it-uh-um-what-uh-what happened today?" I might as well start with the broadest question. Peter just looked at me, and taking a few steps back, plopped down onto my bed, sighing in relief.

"Damn those burns hurt," he replied lightly, chuckling a bit at his own injuries. Suddenly worried, I hurried over to his side, and sat down next to him.

"Do you think I need to change your bandages or something?" I asked anxiously, looking him over for any seeping blood. I found none, and settled back on Peter's face. I knew he was hurting at dinner, he had to have been. And now my suspicions were confirmed. He was staring at my wall, not paying me any attention. "Peter?" I asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know what that was. I just-I just saw that there was something happening on the TV. I couldn't-I couldn't just ignore it," he started, taking a deep breath. "So I got there, and scoped out the place from a building. The torch thing was throwing fire and buildings, and _people_. I kind of reacted impulsively, swooping down to take it down before more people got hurt. Well, my webs burned on the guy, so I couldn't detain it. I-I tried to just-to just get it-get it away from people. I saw a fire hydrant down the street, so I figured the whole water beats fire kind of thing was worth a shot. While I was trying to lure it away, it grabbed me, and that's how I got these," he motioned to his burns. "The thing swiped at me, and I fell on my wrist, getting this," he pointed to his now bandaged wrist. "I-I was trying to think fast. I was looking for something heavy to break the hydrant. I saw a trash can across the street and I grabbed it with my webs, throwing it at the hydrant. Thankfully, the force was enough, because water went everywhere. I could barely see anything through the thick sheet of water. But, Gwen, I did see something," he sighed turning to look me straight in the eyes. A shiver ran down my spine. This wasn't good. "The torch thing _shrunk_ down to a _human _size. I-I think it was human. Some oddly genetically engineered human." Peter looked agitated, staring at me and imploring me to tell him that he wasn't crazy. But a human who turned into a huge flame throwing bad-guy?

"Peter, it's not possible that thing was human," I told him calmly, grabbing his good hand between both of mine. "If it was a person, they would certainly be dead from the heat." Was he seeing things? Or was he serious? How could something like that exist?

As if reading my mind, Peter chimed in. "I'm human and I have special abilities. Maybe he is the same way, but with fire aspects instead of spider ones."

I thought this over. It was true that Peter had his Spidey powers, and Dr. Connors was able to turn into a big giant lizard. But fire just seemed so different. It was so much more destructive and harmful. But Peter, Peter was looking at me and something was telling me that he knew that this was true. That this thing was really a _person_.

"Ok," I coincided, trusting that what he had seen was true. "But how could that happen?"

Peter sighed. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out." His determination scared me. What he was going to track this guy down?

"How do you plan to find him in this city?" I asked, hoping that this would deter him from going after this thing.

Peter just shrugged. "I guess I'll try and lure him out somehow," he responded confidently. He was going to-

"Peter! You can't go after this guy! You know what happens when a spider goes into a fire? It _burns to death_. It _dies._ I'm not going to let you do something stupid and get yourself _killed. _You can't go and hunt this guy, for my sanity, please," I begged him, all rationality going out the window. I wasn't going to lose him. I couldn't lose him. I don't know what I would do if he was gone. All of my feelings and fears from earlier suddenly came rushing back. I hiccupped as the tears started falling fast down my face. My vision went blurry, and I could feel Peter wrap his arms around me, and pull me in. I sobbed into his shoulder, as he pulled me tighter against him.

When he spoke, his voice was uneven. "I-I-Gwen, I can't just-just let this thing go. I-I can't let it hurt anyone else. It's my responsibility to keep people safe. "

"No, Peter, no," I cried senselessly into his shoulder, latching my hands on his shirt to keep him from going anywhere. "Peter, you-you have to stay with me. You have a responsibility to your-yourself to keep-keep from getting-from getting-killed."

Peter took a deep shaky breath. "You know I love you and Aunt May more than anything, right?" I nodded my head into his shoulder. "But, I can't not help people. That's what Spider-Man does, Gwen. But if it makes you feel better, how about if I promise that I won't go chase this thing down? We-we can come up with a plan, a good plan, for when this thing comes back. So, we will be ready. But Gwen, if this thing comes back, I will be there trying to stop it," Peter finished. My sobs had ebbed, and only a few remaining tears were now falling down my face, and soaking them into Peter's shirt. I was terrified for him. Even if we did come up with some spectacular plan, we could only plan about fifty percent of what could happen, because we had no idea what that thing would do. Peter would still be going in there mostly blind.

"It was so terrible, Peter. Watching you fight that thing, watching you lose. I-I couldn't comprehend anything but that any second, could be your last second alive. I was a mess, Peter. Even if you had kept your promise to my Dad, I would still be a mess. No matter how far away you are, my feelings have never changed. I still love you. I'm so in love with you that I can't imagine my life without you. I can't see you get hurt," I told him quietly, tightening my grip on his shirt. I was pretty sure my hands were red from holding onto his so tightly.

Peter spoke softly, "do you want me to stop coming here, when I get hurt? Because if it's that painful for you, I can just-uh go somewhere else."

I pulled back to look at him sternly. "You will never ever go anywhere else. Every time you get hurt, even if it's minor, I want you to come here so I know firsthand that you are alright," I told him, probably more forceful that needed. Peter just smiled at me, and pulled me towards him to place his lips on mine. I could feel my fears dissipate as soon as his lips touched mine. I forgot all about fire, and spiders, and bandages. All I could feel was Peter's lips on mine, and his arms wrapped tightly and securely around me. When Peter pulled back, he moved his hand to wipe tears that were still resting on my face, away.

"Even if I did have a million other places to get patched up, I'd still come to you every time," he spoke, smiling as he pulled me in for another mesmerizing kiss.

* * *

**AN: OK THEN! Kinda short, but this was a chapter filled with things I felt needed to be said. I kind of have an idea for when the Torchy fire thing comes back, but I haven't exactly figured out how to start that….but does anyone have any ideas? Because I would love to hear what you guys think should happen! **

** And because I LOVE it when you guys tell me what you think about stuff, tell me. Who is your favorite villain and why? And do you guys think that *SPOILER ALERT* they will keep Gwen alive in the movies? Some of you have said what you think, but I personally think they will. As I said before, Gwen was in (although in a small portion) of the SM3 movie, and she lived! But I think that the studio knows that if they kill her off, a lot of people will be marching around with candles, pleading for Gwen to come back. **


End file.
